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As you know by now, I’m a sucker for “junk”.  So when my neighbor posted an email that she was moving and was giving away a lot of stuff for free (my favorite word!), I hopped in my car and sped off.  After I spent some time picking out my treasures, and realizing I should have brought my truck, I left with my Nissan Xterra full to the brim and thinking about how I would explain this “junk” to my family!

I got about a dozen old cabinet doors (with vintage knobs!), several drawer fronts, a toilet seat, picture frames, a hanging lamp that looks like a table, and a couple of clocks made from tree trunk slices.  My mind was swimming with the possibilities! I love projects that take something old and make it new again!

My first project is this address sign made from one of the drawer fronts.  The only think I had to buy for this project was the chain to hang it from.  And people wonder why I never throw anything away!

The first step was to clean this with some 409 and dry it off.  I decided on a white wash look to mimic weathered beach wood.  You could choose any paint color you like.  Using regular acrylic craft paint from a 2 oz. bottle, I mixed in some water until the consistency of milk in an old butter tub.

Using a damp rag, I dabbed it into the paint and rubbed the paint on, being careful to leave some of the wood showing underneath. My drawer front had a 1/4″ of wood extending off the back, so I also whitewashed the sides.

Find the rattiest, stiffest brush that you have for this dry brush technique.  You want the bristle marks to show.  Dip just the end of the brush into your paint, being careful not to overload the brush.  Brush in one direction only until surface is covered, then light brush back and forth until the desired effect is achieved.  Your finished front should look like the photo at right.  Take note that I did not want to take the time to fill in the hole from the knob with wood putty.  The photo will cover it later. 

I’ve always loved to decoupage, so I went in search for a photo with a lake or fishing theme.

In Microsoft Office you can click on the tab “insert”, then click on “Clip Art”.  Type into the “Search for” bar at the top right whatever subject you are looking for. I typed in “Fishing”, “Lakes”, and “Fisherman”.

Once you have selected your photo, it’s time to size it to fit your piece.  Measure the area you want to cover, then go to the “Size” section of the tool bar at the upper right of your screen.  It will tell you the current size of the photo.  Crop the photo until it is the size that you need.

Being that I wanted this sign to have a weathered look, I did not want it to have straight sides, so I tore the paper around the edges to soften the look.  Pulling straight back on the paper, move your hand slightly from side to side to create this uneven edge.  I recommend practicing a few times until you feel comfortable with the process.  Brush Modge Podge (available at any arts & crafts store) only in the area where the picture is to be placed.  Lay down the picture and smooth out to all edges.  Allow to dry. Brush Modge Podge over the picture to seal it completely.  I chose the Matte finish, but it is also available in a Gloss.

For the address numbers you  can either use stick-on numbers, stencils, or even scrapbooking numbers. I chose to use a stencil as that was all I had available that I liked.  lay down your stencil and trace the outline of the numbers with a pencil.  Remove stencil and paint in with craft paint.  My stencil had a line to keep the numbers straight, but if you are using stick-on letters just place down a ruler as a guide.
Always drill a pilot hole in your wood when the surface is this narrow to avoid splitting the wood.  Use a tape measure or ruler to evenly space the holes to be drilled, and mark with a pencil.  A small piece of painters tape is helpful to wrap around the drill bit so that you don’t drill too deep.

With two sets of needle nose pliers, slightly pull apart the eye ring to allow for attaching the lures.  NOTE: SNIP OFF THE END OF THE HOOKS WITH WIRE CUTTERS TO AVOID INJURY.

Attach eye hooks to lures and screw into bottom of sign.  Re-close eye hooks with pliers.  Drill two holes top and bottom in the “Fish Stories Told Here” sign, and two holes with matching distance into the top of the sign.  Pull apart 4 eye hooks and insert into both signs.  Attach hooks from top of address sign into hooks on bottom of “Fish Stories” sign and reclose.  Attach end of chain to one of the top eye hooks of “Fish Stories” sign.